The team of approximately 25 Airmen from a variety of Air Force specialties, traveled to Yokota Air Base, Japan, where they will provide support to efforts underway to support the government of Japan.

The aircraft also was loaded with several generators, which will be used in the support efforts.

"First and foremost our prayers are with Japan," said Brig. Gen. Scott West, the 13th Air Force vice commander, who departed with the team. "They are resilient and capable. (But) we'll be there so long as our allies ask us to."

Lt. Col. Rocky Favorito, the commander of the 374th Communications Squadron at Yokota AB, was on temporary duty at Joint Base Hickam when the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami struck. He returned to Yokota AB with the C-17 team, excited to get home and help.

"Today I'm proud to be in the U.S. Air Force," Colonel Favorito said.

The colonel said that his squadron had just completed an exercise, so they were ready for the real-world response.

Such enthusiasm to help the Japanese people was shared by all the Airmen onboard the aircraft.

"We'll do whatever we're needed to do, whatever we can," said Capt Jacob Debevec, the 613th Air and Space Operations Center chief of personnel recovery operations.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- On March 11, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan and a tsunami followed, creating widespread destruction throughout the country.

Within a short time, U.S. service members were gearing up to support a response, and air transportation Airmen, also known as aerial porters, were no exception.

Aerial porters are among the busiest Airmen at Misawa Air Base, Japan. They have been building cargo pallets and moving cargo 24 hours a day to keep humanitarian relief operations moving wherever it's needed.

Also, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, aerial porters from the 735th Air Mobility Squadron were busy March 12 loading generators and related cargo onto a C-17 Globemaster III that was heading to Japan.

The plane departed quickly, and a squadron commander, who was on temporary duty to Hawaii, was able to return to his home station of Yokota Air Base, Japan.

"Today I'm proud to be in the U.S. Air Force," said Lt. Col. Rocky Favorito, the 374th Communications Squadron commander, who returned to Yokota AB with humanitarian aid in tow.

At Misawa AB, aerial porters like Airman 1st Class Ryan Lloyd, of the 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron, are working to move cargo belonging to search-and-rescue personnel arriving in Japan. Aerial porters at Misawa have received numerous aircraft, from civilian airliners to C-17s, and are continuing 24-hour operations as more and more cargo and people flow in from around the world.

These air transportation Airmen are doing exactly what they are trained to do.

According to their official Air Force job description, aerial porters must maintain mandatory job knowledge in passenger and cargo movement functions to include transport aircraft types, capabilities and configuration. They must also know weight and balance factors, airlift transportation directives and documentation, cargo securing techniques, border clearance requirements, operation of materials handling and other types of loading equipment or devices, and fleet service functions.

They are trained to establish procedures for passenger and aircraft clearance through international border clearance agencies and to inspect airlift activities for compliance with directives, the job description states.

Aerial porters may be busier than normal right now, but many said they see it as just doing their job and they are happy to support the effort.

"This is a good thing -- getting this equipment loaded on the plane," said Tech. Sgt. Jared Cunningham, who is assigned to the 89th Aerial Port Squadron. "This is good work, because you know it's going to help the people in Japan."

(Master Sgt. Jeff Capenos, of 89th Airlift Wing Public Affairs and Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs contributed to this report.)

An MC-130P Combat Shadow carrying Airmen arrives March 13, 2011, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The flight was part of American disaster relief forces to assist the earthquake and tsunami recovery effort. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Andrea Salazar)

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- Approximately 100 Airmen and three MC-130P Combat Shadows from the 353rd Special Operations Group deployed to Yokota Air Base March 12 to support humanitarian relief operations after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean off the coast of northeastern Japan March 11.

The Airmen are prepared to provide their unique expertise in their respective areas to the Japanese government and multiple organizations supporting relief efforts across the affected area, officials said.

"The devastation caused by the earthquake is truly heartbreaking." said Col. Stephen Bissonnette, deputy commander of the 353rd SOG. "As part of coordinated relief efforts, the group will work tirelessly with our Japanese counterparts and other relief organizations to help the people affected by the earthquake recover from this disaster."

The 353rd SOG is able to conduct search and rescue operations, transport emergency response teams, equipment and relief supplies, survey and open airfields and helicopter landing zones with certified air traffic controllers, provide emergent medical care to injured people and assist the Japanese government and other relief agencies with a variety of highly trained support personnel for humanitarian assistance operations.

South Korean Inaction Over Attacks a Worrying Sign: Experts
Monday, March 28, 2011

South Korea's failure to respond forcefully to deadly provocations by its militant neighbor might send a worrisome message to North Korea, the Associated Press reported on Saturday (see GSN, March 25).
Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, which Seoul has said resulted from a North Korean torpedo strike. The incident killed 46 sailors.
In November, the North's military shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, killing four people.
Pyongyang insists it was not involved in the warship sinking and has justified its artillery attack on the island. In both incidents, South Korea did not pursue retributive military action against the North, producing concerns that the lack of action from Seoul might make Pyongyang even bolder.
"They've pushed the red line back," Jane's Information Group military analyst Joseph Bermudez said of North Korea. "Let's face it, you sunk somebody's warship, then you shelled their island, and have (South Koreans) retaliated in any way that's significant? Not really."
In late 2010, Seoul adjusted its military posture to permit a robust response to future North Korean attacks. The South has also announced an arms buildup on its islands and has carried out a series of independent and joint military maneuvers with the United States intended to deter the North from launching new assaults.
South Korea has called for Pyongyang to apologize for the sinking of the Cheonan as a condition of any new inter-Korean engagement. Washington has backed Seoul in the matter and said it would not call for a return to the long-stalled six-nation talks aimed at North Korean denuclearization until relations between the two neighbors have improved.
With no diplomatic breakthroughs on the horizon, there is a strong possibility the Stalinist state could conduct its third nuclear test, according to AP.
Following a series of military drills staged last week by the South to mark the anniversary of the Cheonan incident, North Korea threatened that a "war may break out anytime."
"It's very easy to catch a spark, so it would not be a surprise to see another conflagration," Yonsei University professor John Delury said (Foster Klug, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, March 26).
The one-time U.S. representative to the six-nation talks, Christopher Hill, on Saturday said he was flummoxed by China's continued refusal to rebuke its longtime ally for the attack on the Cheonan, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
"I don't understand the Chinese policy on the Cheonan," Hill said during a visit to South Korea. "I don't think there's any reasonable person in the world who does not know what actually happened."
A South Korean-led international probe concluded a North Korean submarine-launched torpedo halved the Cheonan. A U.N. Security Council presidential statement in July, acknowledged the investigation's findings but did not single North Korea out for blame. Council veto holder China was seen as the reason a more stinging rebuke was not issued (Yonhap News Agency I, March 27).
Meanwhile, U.S. and South Korean officials were slated to hold joint deterrence talks on Monday and Tuesday in Hawaii that would include making arrangements for a tabletop exercise that would use computer-generated scenarios to analyze the potential responses to a North Korean nuclear or other WMD threat, Yonhap reported.
"The exercise would be meaningful because it could facilitate a consultation between the two sides over possible countermeasures in case there is an urgent need to deter North Korea's nuclear threats," a South Korean Defense Ministry official said.
The initial senior-level meeting of the Extended Deterrence Policy Committee is also anticipated to examine avenues for strengthening the nuclear umbrella the United States has extended to South Korea (Yonhap News Agency II, March 25).

Its a bit hard to strengthen the "nuclear umbrella" when we have that idiot Obama in the Whitehouse trying to disarm the country and the equally idiotic Republicans allowing him to do it._________________CAG Hotshot
"FAF Shape Meister"
Forum Administrator
FAF/FA-2 Design team
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Best news I have heard in a long time, even if I am months late in responding... _________________CAG Hotshot
"FAF Shape Meister"
Forum Administrator
FAF/FA-2 Design team
TSH Member/Developer

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Sat May 26 1:29:39 2012

CAG Hotshot

Rank: Admin, Site Owner, Developer, Webmaster

Joined: 12 Aug 2004

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Post subject:

Quote:

North Korea reopens military hotline with South

North Korea has reopened a disconnected military hotline with South Korea as the neighbouring countries held high-level talks to discuss the Northâ€™s participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics and ways to improve bilateral ties, the Yonhap news agency reported on 9 January.

Communications via the hotline are set to resume on 10 January, the media outlet quoted a South Korean government official as saying.